Bubble still



Aug.b2o, 1929. Q E BRAUN 1,725,052

BUBBLE STILL Filed Sept. 7, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEYS.

. F. BRAUN Aug. 20, 1929.

BUBBLE S TI LI...

Filed Sept. 7, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet i A I| 1N g/EN To R.' Me/6MM SYM if4- MQ T TORNEYS.

. Patented Aug. 20, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT' oFFlcE.

y CARL F. BRAUN, OF PASADENA, CALIFORNIA.

BUBBLE STILL.l

Application led September 7, 1926. Serial No. 133,837.

This invention relates to interfacial contact apparatus, andparticularly pertains to Vimprovements in bubble stills, absorbers,scrubbers, and the like.

It is the principal object ofthe presenty invention to provide means inan interfacial contact apparatus whereby a liquid and gas or vapor maybe brought into intimatecontact and suitably commingled in a manner toinsure intimate interfacial contact throughout the entirecross-sectional area of the apparatus and with an accurate proportionalmiXing of the commingling fluids, the present device being animprovement on that type of apparatus shown in the cd-pendingapplication of Alois Kremser, entitled lnterfacial Contact apparatus,Serial Number 141,214 filed by him on the 12th day of October, 1926,fandpending concurrently herewith. Throughout the specification it vwill beunderstood that the term interfacial contact is here used in the sensethat minute particles ofliquii and gases or vapors flowing through thisapparatus will have intimate and thorough contact with each other. l

The present invention contemplates the provision of an outer enclosingshell fitted with a plurality of transverse bubble plates spaced fromeach other to form intermediate contact compartments, and within whichcompartments are disposed bubble cap structures having induction andeduction con` duits for both a downwardly ilowing liquid and an upwardlypassing gas or vapor, the cap being further designed toI produce maximumturbulence of the fluids as they commingle in each of the compartments.

The invention is illustrated by way of example by the accompanyingdrawings, in which Fig. 1 is a view in central vertical section througha still embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in transverse section taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1showing the uniform manner of arranging the bubble cap structures;

Fig. 3 is a view in transverse section showing the bubble caparrangement as seen on the line III-III of Figure 1.

.Fig 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing the details ofconstruction of the bubble cap structure.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 10 indicates an enclosingshell.

Mounted Within the shell and arranged and .spaced in superposed relationto each other 1s a plurality of transverse bubble plates 11. A vapororgas inlet pipe 12 is in communicatlon with the shell at a point belowthe lowermost bubble plate 11, and the vapor or gas outlet pipe 13 is incommunication with the shell at a point above the uppermost bubble plate1l. A liquid inflow i e 14 is in communication with the top ofptliestill at a point above the upper plate 11, and a liquid drain pipe 15 isin communication with the bottom of the still below the lowermost bubbleplate 11. It will be understood that it is desired to brino thedownflowing liquid and the upwardly passing vapor or gas into intimateinterfacial contact, whereby actions of distillation, absorption,scrubbing, or the like, may .take place between theb liquid and the gasor Vapor. It has been-the common practice in this type of apparatus -toprovide the bubble plates 11 with a plurality of inverted cups or bubblecaps having their bell mouths below the level of an accumulated supplyof liquid resting on each of the bubble plates, to insure that upwardlyflowing gas will pass out into the impounded body of liquid, surplusliquid overflowing the Yupper lip of the Ydrain pipes, one of which isnominally provided for each of the bubble plates and through which pipethe surplus liquid is conducted to the subjacent compartment. Due to thefact, however, that there is no provision in the ordinary structures ofthis class to insure uniform and proportional mixing of the liquid andgas or vapor in the compartments, the stills operate ineiliciently, andwith that idea in view a structure has been here provided as generallyindicated at 18, by which a uniform and proportional downilow of liquidmay be obtained throughout the sectional area of the apparatus, and auniform and proportional upflow of gas or vapor may be maintained andbrought into intimate contact with the liquid. The structure comprisesan upwardly projecting nozzle 16 formed as a part of the bubble plate11. A lurality of thesenozzles are uniformly istributed over the area ofthe bubble plate .in symmetrically geometric arrangements and invertical alignment when the assembled series of bubble plates isconsidered. Extending through the center of each of these nozzles is avertically disposed drain pipe 17, to the upper end of which is mounteda, bubble cap structure 18. The outer vdiameter of the drain pipe isconsiderably less than the linner diameter of the opening through thenozzle 16, thus providing an annular passageway within the nozzle andaround the drain pipe through whichupwardly flowing gases or vapors maypass. The bubble cap structure 18 comprises a central threaded boss 19which receives the upper end of the drain pipe 17 This boss is formed asa continuation of a liquid drain chamber 20 which is in directcommunication with the drain pipe 17, and has a plurality of radialducts 21 communicating with an overflow launder 22. Disposed directlyabove the chamber 20 and formed integrally therewith is a weir cup 23,into whichithe lowermost end of a superposed drain pipe 17 projects. Itwill be understood that the drain pipes 17, through the height of thestill, are in longitudinal alignment, and that their opposite ends areassembled within a bubble cap structure 18, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.The weir cup 23 forms a liquid seal for the lower end of vthe drain pipe17 and causes an accumulation of liquid to be held in the drain pipe,

' the level of this accumulation agreeing with the difference ofpressure in the contact compartment from which the liquid is beingdrained and the contact compartment into which the liquid is draining.This oil overflows the lip of the weir cup 23 and then flows downwardlythrough a passagewa 24 to an annular mixing compartment 25 w ichcircumscribes the nozzle 16 on the bubble plate and is formed by a wall26 of rectangular or cylindrical shape. This wall agrees in position andoperation with the yordinary inverted bell mouth of a bubble cap. Thewall 26 continues upwardly and is formed with a boss 27 whichaccommodates the downwardly projecting end of the drain pipe 17. Thelaunder 22 is formed around the wall 26, and is drained through theducts 21, which pass through the wall and into the chamber 20 withoutcommunicating with the overflow compartment 24. In order to createadditional turbulence, the lip of the bubble cap wall 26 is formed witha plurality of slotted serrations 28,'through which the comminglingliquid and gases and vapors may be projected into the mass of liquidimpounded upon the bubble plate, and the level of which is determined bythe height of the launder 22. 0

In operation of this invention liquid is delivered to the apparatusthrough the liquid vinflow pipe 14, and is there distributed 4upon theupper bubble plate. It may then pass vdownwardly after reaching acertain level above the wall 26 through the drain pipes 17, which areuniformly and symmetrically arranged over the sectional area of thestructure. This liquid will flow down the pipe 17 and into the firstweir cup 23, after which it will overflow the weir cup and passdownwardly through the overfiow compartment ings 29 into the annularmixing chamber 25 surrounding the nozzle 16. Here the gas will meet thedownwardly flowing liquid which has overiowed the lip of the weir cup23, and due to the velocity of the gas stream will tend to flatten thestream of liquid against the side wall 26 of the bubble cap. The gasthen bubbles through the layer of liquid which fills the bubble plate 11to the level of the top .of the wall 26. The liquid and gas or vaporwill then commingle and pass downwardly by lviolent projection throughthe restricted orifices formed by the slotted openings 28 in the loweredge of the wall 26 and the space between the lip of the bubble cap andthe upper surface of the bubble plate 11. This action will be that ofprojecting these iuids through a restricted orifice to increase theirvelocity and to thus increase their turbulence. The fluids will thenpass into the body of liquid resting upon the bubble plate 11, and willwork their way upwardly through this liquid, producing a violentebullition thereof. The vapors as they pass'upwardly from the body ofthe liquid will strike the underface of the bubble plate forming the topof the compartment. Attention is directed to the fact that there is nodirect passageway for the vapor to follow in reaching the compartmentabove that in which the action is taking place, and that the vapors mustof necessity follow a circuitous path of travel. It will be understoodthat the pressure of the upwardly fiowing vapors will be sufficient toprevent the oil which overflows the weir cups and stands upon the plate11 vfrom passing through openings 29 and cause it to accumulate on theplate 11. y

' It will thus be seen by this arrangement that the liquid and gas orvapor will be uniformly subdivided into quantities which will be indirect proportion to each other and which will be brought intointerfacial contact uniformly over the sectional area of the still, thusinsuring a maximum interfacial may be simplified, 'since all of thebubble plates and all of the bubble capvstructures ble are made induplicate, thus eliminating sepayrate machine operations for thedifferent bubble plates and the different bubble caps.

When the apparatus is first set in operation it will be understood thatthere .will not be an accumulation of liquid upon the bubates, and it isnecessar to insure that liquid will accumulate upon t e bubble plates toa level which will submerge the lower edges ofl the walls 26 and theserrations 28.

. This is accom lished by' providing ducts 30 which establiscommunication between the drain pipes 17 vand the bubble plates. The

upper ends of these ducts pass through the side wall of the nozzles 16,and the lower ends of the ducts pass through the wall of the drain pipes17. By this arran ement, oil which 1s delivered to the still irough theinflow pipe 14 willthen flow downwardly and accumulate beneath upperbubble late 11 until reaching the level o the drain ucts 30 carried bythat plate, after which the oil will overflow into the drain pipe 17until the weir cup at the lower end thereof has been filled to seal thedrain pipe.` The oil will then overflow the Weir cup and accumulate onsuccessive bubble plates in the manner previousl described. In this waythe lower ends o all of the drain pipes would be rovided with a liquidseal and* the lower en s of all of the members 26 will be submerged inliqluid so that the gas which flows upwardly wil not be able to passdirectly through the drain pipes, and so that it will also be compelledto pass through 'a body of liquid on the bubble plates at all times dur-'I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: 1. Aninterfacial contact apparatus comrising an outer shell and a pluralityof l bubble plates forming contact com artmentsC within the shell,drainpipes lea ing froni one compartment to the next succeeding lower comartment-conducting an overow of liquid rom anupper compartment'to aVlowercempartment, said drain pipes being in longitudinal verticalalignment, and

means interposed between adjacent ends of.

said pipes for mixingI a downwardly draining llquid with an upwardlyflowing vapor or gas and causing both to be projected with turbulentaction into another body of liquid accumulated upon a bubble plate, andmeans for draining a surplus of said body of liquid through the samemixing structure.

`2. An interfacial contact apparatus comprising an outer shell, aplurality of bubble vuid to the top of the shell and for causing it toflow downwardly through the compartments, means for causing 'thedownwardly flowing liquid to accumulate to a predetermined depth in eachcompartment, means whereby the liquid flowing downwardly rinto onecompartment and the'gas flowing upwardly rom another compartment will bebrought into intimate contact within a commin llng structure and will beprojected into t e accumulated body of liquid in the compartment intowhich the liquid and gas flow, and means embodied in the co-minglingstructure for permitting a direct overflow of liquid .from the body ofliquid in one compartment into the area of 'contact of. the liquid with'the upwardly fiowing gas in the next succeeding lower compartment.

3. An interfacial contact apparatus comprising an outer shell, aplurality of bubble plates therein and spaced from each other to form aseries of su rposed contact compartments, said bub le plates each beingformed with a series of systematically arranged openings throu'houttheir area to permit'substantially unlform flow and distribution offluids through the compartments, means for establishing a downward flowof liquid successively through thecompartments, a circumscribing wallstructure around each of the openings through said bubble plates forcreatmg a desired accumulation of liquid upon the floor of eachcompartment and thereafter permitting itl to overflow therefrom into thenext succeeding lower compartment, and anupwardly projecting fiangearound each of the openlngs in the bubble plate each forming a nozzleprojecting into an overflow structure whereby the downwardly flowinliquid and the upwardly flowing gas may e brought into intimateV contactand may therea ter be proiquid within the said compartment.

4. An interfacial contact apparatus, com prising an outer shell throughwhich a downwardly flowing liquid and an upwardly flowing gas pass, aplurality of bubble plates dividing theshell intosuperposedcompartments, said plates each havin upwardly projectingnozzles through which the gas passes, bubble caps covering said nozzlesand extending downwardly around the sides thereof -to form a passagewayfor the gas from the nozzle and under the marginal' edge of the cap intothe compartment, means loes1 iected into the accumulated quantity of`shell into superposed compartments,

causing the liquid to accumulate to a desired level above the lip of thecap and on the i'loor of each compartment, a pipe extending downwardlythrough said nozzle and conducting the overflowing liquid from an upperinto a lower compartment and means for creating a liquid seal in saidoverflow pipe ata point above the level of the liquid in thecompartment.

5. An interfacial contacting apparatus comprising an outer shell throughwhich a liquid and a gas flow in counter directions, a plurality ofbubble plates dividing th sai plates each being formed with upwardlyprojecting nozzles through which the gas ,flows successively from thelowermost to the upper compartments,rbubble caps one of which coverseach of the nozzles and extends downwardly around the sides thereof toform a passageway for the gas and to cause it to {'low out from beneaththe lip of the bubble cap, means for causing the liquid to accumulate toa desired level above the lip of the bubble caps and on the floor of thecompartments and apipe extending downwardly through a nozzle in onebubble plate to the bubble cap in the next lower bubble plate andthrough which said overflowing liquid may pass.

6. An interfacial contacting apparatus comprising an outer shell throughwhich a liquid and a gas How in counter directions, a plurality ofbubble plates dividing the shell into superposed compartments, saidplates each being formed with' upwardly projecting nozzles through whichthe gas flows successively from the lowermost to the upper compartments,bubble caps covers each ofu the nozzles and extends downwardly aroundthe sides thereof to form a passageway for the gas and to cause it toflow out from cap, means for causing the liquid to accumulate to adesired level above the lip of the bubble caps and on the floor of thecompartone of which beneath the lip of the bubble I ments and a pipeextending downwardly v through a nozzle inone bubble plate to the bubblecap inthe next lower bubble plate and through which saidoveriowing'liquid may pass, and means for creating a liquid seal betweenthe compartments and in the pipe.

p CARL F. BRAUN.

